Today's Gospel in Art - The parable of the unjust judge and persistent widow

Persistence, Painted by Carey MacDonald 2018 © Carey MacDonald artist

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 13th November 2021 - Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. 'There was a judge in a certain town' he said 'who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, "I want justice from you against my enemy!" For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, "Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death."'

And the Lord said 'You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?'

Reflection on the Painting

Today's parable of the unjust judge and the widow teaches us about the virtue of persistence. There is a fine line however between being persistent and being stubborn. Persistence is a virtue often hailed in the business world. Think of Henry Ford being persistent in building a car for the masses, whilst everyone opposed the idea at the time. Think of Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks, who was under pressure from his family to close his small bistro outlet. Think of Simon Cowell, who needed to fold his first venture and move back in with his parents before persisting with a new venture in the music industry. Think of JKRowling, who wrote the first Harry Potter book in 1995. It was initially rejected by twelve different publishers. Think of Walt Disney, who raised $15,000 to launch his business which went bust… All these entrepreneurs were persistent and focussed.

This kind of persistence is the muscle and willpower that turn ideas into reality. They had big dreams and the drive to achieve what they set out to be. However, the persistence that Jesus is calling us to today is slightly different. Yes, of course we can dream, think big and try to achieve what we set out to be, but the dreams need to be the right ones, tied in to God's plan that He has for each one of us. The purpose of today's parable is to encourage us to persevere in our faith against all odds and in the face of adversity or suffering. The widow in our reading persevered, and she achieved what she wanted: leading the judge to act justly.

Our painting by Carey MacDonald depicts a worker trying to break the ice around a ship which has stalled in the midst of a snow storm. He is keen to get moving again with his ship and will persevere until he does so!

Thomas Aquinas describes the virtue of perseverance as 'persisting in good for a long time'. So it must be directed towards the good. This means that the persistence in our reading today was not just a strategy of the widow for personal achievement. It was oriented towards the good: the judge became just.

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/989
Christian Art - www.christian.art/